DC's Haunted Story of the Goatman

Despite the DMV’s milquetoast, professional reputation, the area is home to many tales of otherworldly phenomena. From the Bunny Man to the Snallygaster, no local urban legend is more blood-curdling than that of the Goatman.

Who Is the Goatman?

The Goatman stands at about 6-feet-tall, with the torso of a man and the legs of a goat, Mr. Tumnus-style. Some accounts describe him as a hermit with a “droopy eyelash.” Sightings of the Goatman are scattered throughout Prince George’s County, namely in Greenbelt and Clinton. Other reports claim that Goatman attacks passersby at the Governor’s Bridge in Upper Marlboro under the full moon.

Where Did the Goatman Come From?

The first murmurings of the Goatman arose in the 1930’s, with accounts blaming him for the disappearance of dogs throughout Prince George’s County. Rumors gained steam after a series of articles in the Prince George’s County News and the Washington Post in the early 1970’s. One of the stories covered a family claiming that the Goatman killed their puppy in Bowie, MD.

The symbiosis of word-of-mouth storytelling and media coverage caused Goatman lore to snowball, becoming especially popular amongst PG County teenagers. It was not uncommon to see “Goatman was here” spray-painted on convenience stores throughout the county. While some claimed Goatman was Okee, a Powhatan god and master of animals, others claim he was the result of an experiment gone wrong at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. The latter story gained so much traction that the research center officially denied the reports in 2013.

In Popular Culture

The Goatman’s notoriety led to a mention in George Lucas’ 1973 flick “American Graffiti.” He’s also made it into a '90s BBC documentary series and an X-Files comic book. There’s even a 2013 slasher-film based on Maryland’s fawn-man.